We Deserve Monuments

 

My Thoughts:

This story is about dysfunction and secrets. The passive but supportive peace makers seem to be the two men, but Avery's dad is always gone playing music and her grandfather has been dead since Avery's mom was a little girl. 

The women, Mama Letty, her mom and Avery all have their own demons to tackle in order to better understand each other. Added to that is the pressure of taking care of Mama Letty and getting to know her before she dies.  She is hard to get close to, but I found the Mama Letty character as misunderstood and grieving. Unfortunately, Avery's mother pays the price for her mother's pain. 

Although the three friends, Avery, Simone Cole and Jade Oliver represent a more contemporary friendship that bridges race and class, this little southern town is still ensconced in racism, classism and homophobia. It is not safe for any one as the family in power, the Olivers still have all the power. For Avery, who did not grow up in the south, this is a jarring way to live and she has difficulty filtering the truth. The question from the publisher is a great anticipation question prior to reading this book. 

Next read could be Where the Crawdads Sing. 

From the Publisher:

What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family―whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer―Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance―the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell―or if some things are better left buried.

Publication information:

Author: Jas Hammonds

Publisher: Roaring Books Press

Publication date: November 29, 2022